Metropolitan Board of Health
Encyclopedia
The New York City
Metropolitan Board of Health was the first modern municipal public health authority in the United States
. It was founded in 1866 by the New York Academy of Medicine
, following a campaign led by Dr. Stephen Smith
. It allowed for the first time concepts of an urban industrial society to be used to solve new problems in society.
The several powers and duties of the health officers are set forth in detail in chapter xix of the first charter creating Greater New York (January 1, 1898; amended, 1901). In 1915 the health department was administered by a board of health, consisting of a commissioner appointed by the mayor, the commissioner of police, and the health officer of the port.
on February 18, 1865 when an essay known as: Citizen's Association Report on the Sanitary Condition of the City was written:
Poor sanitation
and filthy streets threatened both the physical health of the public as well as the economic welfare of the developing metropolis in the mid nineteenth century.
The sanitation of the city went under city politics. Most of city sewage and welfare in New York City was headed by Tammany Hall
.
When Tammany Hall nominated Francis I.A. Boole for mayor City Inspector. Reformists discovered that street cleaning was deeply embedded in corruption
. Workers were paid by Tammany Hall below minimum wage and forced to sign contracts that gave up half of their paycheck to Boole.
After the release of the Citizens Association Report in late 1865, the new board began to manage New York City's worst environmental problems.
The board of Health in New York, inspected at least 500 factories in the area and demanded that the factory owners decrease the amount of toxic air they released which they say was becoming a major health risk as well as the dirty tenements that contained new immigrants into the area.
A Health
official in 1866 wrote of the tenements in a 300 page document, entitled Inspection of Tenement living:
The Board of Health helped encourage scientists and doctors to help cure diseases as well as join reformers in bringing attention to tenement law and work laws. By 1915 many of the powers originally possessed by the health department as to tenement houses had been transferred to the tenement-house department, which was charged with enforcing the tenement-house law
in all flats and apartments.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Metropolitan Board of Health was the first modern municipal public health authority in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was founded in 1866 by the New York Academy of Medicine
New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine was founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York City metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health reform...
, following a campaign led by Dr. Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith (surgeon)
Stephen Smith was an American surgeon and a pioneer in public health.-Biography:He was born on February 19, 1823 in Skaneateles, New York...
. It allowed for the first time concepts of an urban industrial society to be used to solve new problems in society.
The several powers and duties of the health officers are set forth in detail in chapter xix of the first charter creating Greater New York (January 1, 1898; amended, 1901). In 1915 the health department was administered by a board of health, consisting of a commissioner appointed by the mayor, the commissioner of police, and the health officer of the port.
History
The Board of Health, later known as the Metropolitan Board of Health began after the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
on February 18, 1865 when an essay known as: Citizen's Association Report on the Sanitary Condition of the City was written:
Poor sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
and filthy streets threatened both the physical health of the public as well as the economic welfare of the developing metropolis in the mid nineteenth century.
The sanitation of the city went under city politics. Most of city sewage and welfare in New York City was headed by Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
.
When Tammany Hall nominated Francis I.A. Boole for mayor City Inspector. Reformists discovered that street cleaning was deeply embedded in corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
. Workers were paid by Tammany Hall below minimum wage and forced to sign contracts that gave up half of their paycheck to Boole.
After the release of the Citizens Association Report in late 1865, the new board began to manage New York City's worst environmental problems.
The board of Health in New York, inspected at least 500 factories in the area and demanded that the factory owners decrease the amount of toxic air they released which they say was becoming a major health risk as well as the dirty tenements that contained new immigrants into the area.
A Health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
official in 1866 wrote of the tenements in a 300 page document, entitled Inspection of Tenement living:
"The streets were uncleaned; manure heaps containing thousands of tons, occupied piers and vacant lots; sewers were obstructed; houses were crowded, and badly ventilated, and lighted; privies were unconnected with the sewers, and overflowing; stables and yards were filled with stagnant water, and many dark and damp cellars were inhabited. The streets were obstructed, and the wharves and piers were filthy and dangerous from dilapidation; cattle were driven through the streets at all hours of the day in large numbers, and endangered the lives of the people."
The Board of Health helped encourage scientists and doctors to help cure diseases as well as join reformers in bringing attention to tenement law and work laws. By 1915 many of the powers originally possessed by the health department as to tenement houses had been transferred to the tenement-house department, which was charged with enforcing the tenement-house law
New York State Tenement House Act
One of the reforms of the Progressive Era, the New York State Tenement House Act of 1901 was one of the first such laws to ban the construction of dark, poorly ventilated tenement buildings in the state of New York...
in all flats and apartments.